Exotic birds looted from Kalabagan mini zoo yet to be rescued

Days after the reported looting of exotic birds from a mini zoo in Dhaka's Kalabagan, the stolen birds remain untraceable, and no official complaints or cases have been filed with the police.

According to police, a group of individuals allegedly broke into a residence near Sonargaon Road, behind Eastern Plaza, late at night, and made away with 20 pairs of exotic birds, including macaws and cockatoos, worth approximately Tk 50 lakh.

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Kalabagan OC, two SIs suspended over vandalism, extortion

Posing as Detective Branch officials, they threatened him with false charges, vandalised property, and demanded Tk one crore in extortion.

The incident took place around 1:30am on April 29 at the home of Abdul Wadud, an exotic bird breeder and owner of a mini zoo, on Sonargaon Road in the capital's Hatirpool area, Tariq Latif, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's New Market Zone, told The Daily Star.

Following the incident, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police withdrew Kalabagan Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Moktaruzzaman and Sub-Inspectors Jihad and Bellal Hossain.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Wadud said the police officers came with a group of political activists who demanded extortion and threatened to implicate him in fabricated cases.

On Tuesday, newly appointed Kalabagan Police Station OC Md Fazle Ashik stated that he was unaware of the bird looting incident and confirmed that no cases had been filed regarding the matter. "If anyone lodges a complaint, we will investigate the matter," he told The Daily Star.

Abdul Wadud, the owner of the stolen birds, confirmed that he had not filed any legal complaints.

Meanwhile, DMP AC Tariq Latif acknowledged the reports of bird theft, saying, "We heard that some birds were stolen. Our detective teams are investigating the matter."